One-man electro-pop artist, Neosupervital, aka Tim O’Donovan, has just released his new album, "Battery Power".
After the release of his eponymously titled debut album in 2006, Neosupervital went on to be playlisted on MTV2 and was invited to open for The Human League on a tour of the UK and Europe. Neosupervital has since supported such acts as The Divine Comedy, Tom Vek and Peter Hook.
Hit songwriter Brendan Graham has been presented with an Award by Hal Leonard Inc, Milwaukee, USA, the largest publisher of sheet music in the world in recognition of his phenomenal hit You Raise Me Up (co-written with Rolf Lovland) surpassing the half-a-million unit sales of sheet music in the USA. The actual sales through Hal Leonard are at 640,000 units and this combined with sales through Alfred Music, Hal Leonard's main competition, brings the total to over a staggering 1 million units. You Raise Me Up has retained the prime position on the popular Sheetmusic Plus website, (continuously now for 7 years) making it the No. 1 best-selling sheet music in the USA. (http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/genres/Pop/124?sort=top_selling
The shortlist for this year's Choice Music Prize, Irish Album Of The Year 2010 will be announced on Wednesday, January 12th 2011.
The winning album will be selected at the Choice Music Prize live event, held in Vicar Street, Dublin on Thursday 3rd March 2011. The event will be broadcast live on Today FM.
The 6th annual Choice Music Prize will once again celebrate and acknowledge the best in Irish recorded music. The prize has become one of the highlights of the Irish musical calendar since its inception in 2005 and is awarded to the Irish Album of the Year, as chosen from a shortlist of ten releases by a panel of eleven Irish media professionals.
The winning act will receive a cheque for €10,000 courtesy of the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), as well as a specially commissioned award.
For the first time, the Choice Music Prize website has published a comprehensive list of Irish albums released in 2010. The list currently numbers 240, the largest series of releases since the award was created. This list can be viewed and updated by logging onto www.choicemusicprize.com
THE STORY SO FAR:
The Choice Music Prize was established to highlight and promote the work of Irish musicians. It is unique in that it focuses simply and solely on the music in judging the releases, as opposed to sales or airplay.
The recipients of the Choice Prize thus far are as follows:
2005: Julie Feeney – 13 Songs (Julie Feeney)
2006: The Divine Comedy – Victory for the Comic Muse (Parlophone)
2007: Super Extra Bonus Party – Super Extra Bonus Party (Alphabet Set)
2008: Jape – Ritual (Co-Op Records)
2009: Adrian Crowley (pictured) – Season of the Sparks (Chemikal Underground)
Since last year's event, Choice Music Prize co-founder Jim Carroll has stepped down from the project. Jim will be succeeded as chairman of the judging panel by Irish Times music journalist and critic Tony Clayton-Lea. The project's organiser is David Reid.
When Eleanor McEvoy began write her new album, I'd Rather Go Blonde, Ireland was in the grips of severe winter weather and a devastating economic crisis. The 6th song on the album, Shibboleth, is especially relevant in light of the news of the recent bailout of the Irish government.
Eleanor described Shibboleth recently: “What I did with that was a trick on what the old traditional Irish songs used to do where you weren't allowed to talk about the conflict, or England, so they used to talk about Ireland as woman. I'm doing the same in Shibboleth. I'm singing as if it's a person: 'Mo ghra, mo chraoi, mo cuisle/How hard it is to see/ A mhuirin, they have brought you to your knees.' But I'm actually singing about Ireland”.
A rather beguiling song, only too fitting for the time that is in it. With the current state of Ireland's economic unsettlement, 'Shibboleth' attempts to transpire across the routes which took the small country from boom to bust.
McEvoy Concludes: “I wrote the track this year in loving sadness of what they’ve done to my beautiful country…….It seems to have grown in relevancy in the intervening months".
The Contemporary Music Centre is delighted to celebrate the Christmas season with two concerts featuring SoundSet, an innovative new ensemble, on 15 December 2010.
Both concerts will take place in the Centre’s new platform for performance space on the ground floor of its building in Fishamble Street. Entitled Winter Variations the concerts feature a selection of contemporary Christmas carols by Irish and International composers.
Irish composers Anne Marie O’Farrell, Jane O’Leary and Nick Roth have all written new works specifically for the ensemble and the occasion. Irish composers Stephen Gardner, Piers Hellawell and Solfa Carlile also feature. A call for contemporary carols by the Contemporary Music Centre, through its international networks, has resulted in an international carol by Pawel Lukaszewski of Poland.
SoundSet, under the direction of Laura Kilty and Emma O’Halloran, aims to put on high quality concerts which feature repertoire from a huge variety of musical genres – contemporary, electronic, Renaissance, Baroque and anything well-written and exciting!
“The Contemporary Music Centre is very pleased to provide SoundSet with their first performance opportunity and for SoundSet to be the first ensemble to perform in the Centre’s new platform for performance. We hope this is a sign of many future collaborations for our new space and continuing opportunities for Irish composers to have their work performed” says Karen Hennessy, Promotion Manager, The Contemporary Music Centre.
The first performance on 15 Dec is at lunchtime, 1pm – 2pm. It is open to the general public and free of charge. Booking is recommended as space is limited. To book tel: 01 6731922 or email info@nullcmc.ie The second performance is for friends, colleagues and supporters of the Contemporary Music Centre and takes place 6pm – 7pm, followed by a reception.
The Contemporary Music Centre is Ireland's national archive, resource centre and promotional body for new music, supporting composers both north and south. The Centre is supported by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Lisburn singer-songwriter, Aaron Shanley, has won the award for Best Male at the Access to Music Awards held in the O2 Arena, Birmingham last week. The award was presented by BBC Radio 1 DJ, Edith Bowman. Aaron also performed at the award ceremony, where he received a standing ovation.
Earlier this year, Aaron was the recipient of the Katherine Brick Young Songwriter of the Year Award.
Aaron has toured extensively in the US, UK and Ireland in 2010, including dates supporting Kiernan McMullan and Ben Glover. He self-released his debut mini-album 'Let The Sun In' through his own label Love Gum Records in October 2010. A bonus five-track EP 'The Nashville Sessions' was made available alongside any copy of the mini-album that was purchased through Aaron's online shop.
Bell X1 close the year with the announcement of 2 prestigious Dublin dates in April which go on sale this Monday 13 December.
Bell X1 will play:
Wednesday 6th April Vicar Street, Dublin
Thursday 7th April Vicar Street, Dublin
The live shows will coincide with the release of the band's 5th studio album, Bloodless Coup, which will be in shops on 1st April 2011.
Bloodless Coup will be released on the band's own Belly Up label in Ireland.
The album is the follow up to the hugely successful Blue Lights On The Runway which included the massive single "The Great Defector". Paul, David and Dominic worked with Irish Producer Rob Kirwan on the album, which was recorded in Grouse Lodge, West Meath.
In October of this year, the band celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the release of their debut album, Neither Am I. To commemorate this they played a special acoustic tour of Ireland which saw them return to some of the intimate venues they played on that first album tour. The tour was fully sold out as were its counterparts in Europe, North America and the United Kingdom.
Bell X1 Live In Dublin
Wednesday 6th April Vicar Street, Dublin Thursday 7th April Vicar Street, Dublin
The submissions period for Glasgowbury 2011 is now officially open.
Acts interested in submitting to be considered for next year’s festival have until the end of January to send through their work.
As a festival which caters for new and emerging talent, each year Glasgowbury opens a submissions period to give interested bands and artists the opportunity to get on the bill.
To be considered for next year’s event, interested applicants should send their press pack, an up to date example of their music, and a copy of a downloadable covering letter available from www.glasgowbury.com
Although hard copy postal entries are preferred, this year artists can also submit to Glasgowbury via email but must still provide all essential criteria.
Postal Submissions:
Send your press pack, CD and the completed covering letter to: Glasgowbury Music Group, Unit B1, The Business Centre, Tobermore Road, Draperstown, BT45 7AG
Email Submissions:
Email your press pack, a link to your songs (do not send song attachments with your email as this will clog up the email system) and the completed covering letter to: submissions@nullglasgowbury.com
The deadline for receipt of submissions is Monday 31st January and all successful acts will be informed thereafter.
Cork-born, Galway based songwriter, singer and instrumentalist, Adam Murphy, launches his new album, “The Idle Dreamer”, in Kelly’s Bar, Bridge Street, Galway on Saturday 22nd January.
Having worked for periods in Cork, Europe, the US, and UK, Adam now lives in Co. Galway and performs regularly around the area. Adam's material has been aired on RTE, Galway Bay FM, TnaG, some UK stations, and most recently live on The Saturday Connection with Charlie McGettigan on Shannonside/Northern Sounds.
With an extensive and eclectic repertoire of original material, and a number of recordings with different bands, "The Idle Dreamer" is Adam's second full solo album of original material, following up 2006's "The Lazy Load".
"The Idle Dreamer" can be purchased in the Amnesty International Cafe, Middle Street, Galway where Adam sometimes performs, or online at cdbaby.com
"The Lazy Load" can also be purchased online here at cdbaby.com.
“A Hard Old Station: Christmas with the Popical Island Showband” will be released on free download on Monday, 13th December. This release features the rousing singalong chorus of “The High Line”, the galloping alco-indie-pop Christmas tale “Blotto” and seasonal tracks by members of the Popical Island Collective.
As with all the best ideas for Christmas records, this one sparked in mid June. At the launch of this year’s Popical Island #1 compilation, a Phil Spector-esque Wall of Sound was dreamed up. By mid-November, the Popical Island Showband had convened in a cold North Dublin basement to record two tracks in a day of no musical overdubs, significant hand clapping, sleigh bells and exceptionally good value Chinese food. At least five golden guitarists plucked their way through the tunes, more than fourteen calling Islanders provided backing vocals, three non-French brass players stirred with the strings in another room while two little drummer boys kept it tight in the hallway. One producer kept everyone in check shirts.
News of Santa’s retirement is brought to us with “The High Line”, written by Pádraig Cooney of Land Lovers, who takes us on a late night shopping trip leading to Parnell St. Groom’s Mike Stevens penned “Blotto”: a kitchen table, a drink or two, tangled up in Christmas lights with the rumble of conversation from the neighbours next door.
As well as the two Popical Island Showband tracks, there are four more festive offerings included in the download. The Walpurgis Family take you on a walk in crisp snowy pop with “Better Next Year”. Jonny Fun and the… Hesitations have a slightly forlorn tale of Christmases lost with “I’ll Miss You Christmas Eve (That’s What I’m Going to Do)”. “Christmas Song” by Tieranniesaur featuring the Sleigh Belles invites everyone back for a seasonal brew. Meanwhile, Yeh Deadlies leave the listener in no doubt that “Life Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This, it’s Christmas” as they reminisce about beating country cousins at Monopoly.
All proceeds from the download will be shared between two charities: Camphill Communities of Ireland (working with people with intellectual disabilities); and a charity that supports young people with cancer.
“A Hard Old Station: Christmas with the Popical Island Showband” will be available for download here: http://popicalisland.bandcamp.com from 13th December
Popical Island press in 2010:
“An adorable cottage industry” NME
“Flipping marvelous” Phil Udell, State Magazine
“A treasure chest of indie-pop and folk songs” Leagues O’Toole, Irish Times
